Galloway and Bladnoch – Two Distilleries in a Day
A day.
The route
Two distilleries sit a few miles apart on the road south from Newton Stewart, and they make a fine day together.
Galloway Distillery, on the edge of the town, is the young one, with a tour that ends in a guided tasting and a perfect serve. Bladnoch, beside its river just south of Wigtown, was founded in 1817, and lunch is in its café before the afternoon tour. Whoever drives takes samples home from both.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Book a morning Galloway Distillery tour on its website for a Tuesday to Saturday, £30 a head at the time of writing, over-18s to taste (ID may be asked for), with a sample to take away for whoever drives; for a private tour ring 01671 404040.
Book the Classic Tour and Taste at Bladnoch Distillery on bladnoch.com by midnight the day before, for an afternoon time after lunch (tours are by appointment only, Tuesday to Saturday): an hour, three whiskies, £25 a head at the time of writing, children 12 to 17 at £10, takeaway drams for drivers.
The day
Bladnoch
A morning among the stills on the edge of Newton Stewart, a short drive south past Wigtown, lunch by the river, then a Lowland malt from grain to glass.
About five hours
Galloway Distillery
An attraction
Galloway Distillery is just outside Newton Stewart: from the roundabout on the A75, take the A714 Wigtown road, and the distillery is first right after 200 yards. Book a morning tour on its website, £30 a head at the time of writing. The team takes you behind the scenes through each step of the process, then into a guided tasting from The Sassenach and Hills & Harbour ranges, finishing with your favourite as a perfect serve. You must be 18 or over to taste, and ID may be asked for; whoever is driving can take a sample home instead. The shop opens Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm, and well-behaved dogs are welcome in it, though not on the tours.
13 min by car
Café Melba
Lunch
Lunch is 13 minutes' drive south, through Wigtown, at Café Melba in Bladnoch Distillery's visitor centre, with free parking at the distillery. It serves light lunches, desserts and cakes from 10am to 4pm, Tuesday to Saturday, and is shut on Sundays and Mondays, like the distillery. Over Christmas and New Year, check before going. If it's full, Café Rendezvous on Agnew Crescent in Wigtown, a mile back up the road, makes everything from scratch; it usually opens Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4.30pm, but ring 01988 402074 to check.
Bladnoch Distillery
After lunch, Bladnoch's Classic Tour and Taste takes an hour from grain to glass and ends with a tasting of three whiskies. Tours are by appointment only: request one on bladnoch.com by midnight the day before, for after lunch. It costs £25 a head at the time of writing, and the tours are for over-18s, though children aged 12 to 17 may join for £10. Whoever is driving is given takeaway drams. The old buildings make the tour unsuitable for wheelchair users and anyone using a walking stick or walking aid, and high heels aren't allowed. The visitor centre opens Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm.
If it rains
Both tours, the shop and Café Melba are indoors; only the yards between the buildings are out in the weather.
Photographs by Alan Jamieson, Serge Danguin and Andy Blundell via Google